GENTLE READER: Trust Miss Manners, the untouched pie and truffles did not go to waste. Whoever did the dishes had a nice midnight snack in the kitchen after the guests had left. Yes, the guest who wanted to skip it could have said so, along with a gracious comment about how good it looked.

Letter writer is bothered by a fellow guest at a dinner party don’t touching the dessert. Dear Miss Manners: I was at a friend’s for dinner. There were seven of us all together, and the host and hostess are quite formal.

Each course was served individually, as was dessert. One of the guests did not eat anything on their dessert plate. Should they have told the hostess that they did not wish to partake, or accept the plate and just let the food sit uneaten?